


Sleep

by Avalon (formidablesummer)



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-10-31 09:22:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17846738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/formidablesummer/pseuds/Avalon
Summary: A collection of stories/chapters about the romance between Dr. Roman and Ritsuka Fujimaru (as I see her), embedded within the narrative of the story (ish). I make no promises about the timeline being consistent/in order but y'all should know the story anyway. Major spoilers through all NA content.





	1. Flickering Light

To say the past few days had been stressful would have been the understatement of the century. It was possible that he had slept during the past 48 hours—perhaps by slipping into unconsciousness while leaned back a bit too comfortably in his chair—but Dr. Romani Archaman was reasonably certain that hadn’t been the case.  Sheer adrenaline had carried him through the initial crisis, but it was in the aftermath of Singularity F’s resolution that his exhaustion had finally started to get the better of him. The entirety of the remaining Chaldea staff had required examination, though mostly of the psychological rather than physical variety, and he had tended to each of them personally. Before he could finally sleep, however, there was one more patient that he wanted to check in on—the woman who had also been the very first patient he'd attended to at the start of his rounds.

 

He didn't bother to knock or announce himself as he entered her quarters, as he knew that she was still under the effects of anesthetic. It was a long-lasting one, meant to keep the patient in a light sleep as their wounds were allowed time to heal. Until her arrival, this had been where he went to get away from it all--a habit that should have ended once the room had become hers. Still, though he was no longer alone in this space--or perhaps precisely because of that fact--he still felt a wave of relief when the door slid closed behind him. 

 

“Ritsuka,” he said to her as he pulled a chair over to her bedside. His sighed heavily as he plopped his weight down onto the chair, glad to be off his feet for the time being. “Doct--... Roman is here to see you.” This was, after all, a personal rather than professional visit. 

 

“I hope you won't think that I am being overly familiar, but,” he paused, taking her hand into his, “I wanted you to know that I'm here for you, even if you're not back with us just yet.”

 

Despite knowing better, he half expected her to stir at his words, but she simply kept on sleeping peacefully. Her placid expression made her seem even younger than her diminutive figure typically suggested. In truth, she wasn't that much younger than he was--less than five years his junior, if he recalled correctly--but there is something about being north of thirty that makes you view everyone on the other side of that wall as a much more youthful than they truly are. Although she was far from any danger in her present condition, he had only managed to execute the rayshift that brought her back to Chaldea with mere seconds to spare. Her life had nearly been lost--no, _he_ had nearly cost her her life--and the injuries she had sustained could have been avoided entirely if he were just a little bit faster. 

 

It was the second time that that she had escaped death with such narrow margins, though the last time had been on the scale of minutes rather than seconds. It had been their first meeting--a moment of happenstance that seemed increasingly significant the longer he pondered it. What if he hadn't decided to loiter in the then-vacant room for just a moment longer? What if Mash had delivered Ritsuka to her room just a minute too late? What if they hadn't taken an immediate liking to each other, and they hadn't fallen into such a lengthy conversation? And what if he hadn't taken an extra few minutes to try to be friendly--if he was being honest with himself, a bit _more_ than friendly--prior to making his departure?

 

The memory of his probably-too-subtle flirtation made him feel suddenly self conscious of her hand presently grasped between his. Though it had been an entirely innocent gesture, he felt a pang of guilt about the chaste but affectionate touch being given without her full consent. This was not enough to make him release her, however, as the hand holding was more for his sake than it was for hers. He felt a connection with this woman, and he was sure it was more than the fleeting fancies of a hopeless romantic; whatever the nature of their relationship turned out to be was secondary. Their futures were utterly entwined, and he knew the burden of the task laid before them was one he could not bear without her. And yet, he could not help but feel that, somehow, he was the one placing the weight of the world onto her shoulders. 

 

“Ritsuka,” he whispered, his voice breaking as he squeezed her hand. He slouched over onto the side of her bed, cradling his head on top of his arms as hot tears pooled behind his eyelids. “Forgive me. Please. Forgive me.”

 

Roman wept, still clasping Ritsuka’s hand, until he had completely exhausted himself, and slipped into a dreamless sleep at her bedside. 

 


	2. Idle Daydreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ritsuka Fujimaru is a foolish girl with a foolish dream.

This was no time for romance.

 

At least, that is what Ritsuka told herself every time she found herself _noticing_ something about him: the way he would pull his sleeves up to his elbows when working on a difficult problem, the utterly undignified yet charming way he’d doze off at his desk with his chin resting in his hand, how his hair would sometimes fall across his face _just so._ The way he would say her name, with a softness and familiarity which seemed to be reserved for her and her alone, twisted her stomach into knots that made her feel so indescribably _good_. It was only natural for her to be drawn to him--shared near-death experiences did have a way of making you feel close to someone--and for that she could forgive herself. However, she--and he--had much more important things to tend to, and she shouldn’t allow herself to be distracted by idle fantasies.

 

And yet…

 

“Mash,” Ritsuka asked after deciding the answer she sought would not, in fact, come to her by staring dreamily into her half-emptied coffee cup, “do you think the doctor…” She hesitated, glancing around the cafeteria to make sure no one could hear her.

 

“Do I think he what?” Mash blinked at her, the look on her face suggesting that she had no idea where this question might be going.

 

“Well,” Ritsuka resumed, bracing herself before continuing, dropping her voice to a whisper, “do you think he has someone?”

 

“Has someone? You mean like…?” Mash gestured with her hand to imply that which could not be spoken. Ritsuka nodded emphatically, leaning herself in over the table as if to prevent their conversation from escaping. A smile slowly spread across Mash’s face until she finally burst out in laughter. “No! No way! Absolutely not!” Ritsuka motioned for her to be quieter, as her outburst was drawing glances from nearby tables.

 

“Geez, is it really that hard to believe? I mean, he is incredibly kind and friendly. There are plenty of women on staff that would be interested in him,” Ritsuka protested. Despite the answer being exactly what she wanted to hear, she couldn't help but want to defend the idea that the doctor might in fact be happily partnered.

 

“Do you really think so?” Mash asked, only half recovered from her fit of laughter. “I'm sorry but I can't imagine anyone liking him that way. I mean, surely there is someone out there but…” Ritsuka tensed, trying--and failing--to not take slight offense at the comment. “Why do you ask, anyway?”

 

“Well, I saw him chatting with someone earlier and I just sort of wondered,” she replied, a half-lie. In truth, she had been paying a little _too_ much attention to his interactions with any and all female members of staff, hoping to divine who, if anyone, had caught the doctor’s fancy. She had not managed to make much headway in her investigation, although she had been quite successful in driving herself half mad with jealousy thanks to what seemed to be an overactive imagination.

 

“Ah, trying to assess the competition?” Mash said teasingly. Ritsuka’s face fell-- _damn, had she been that obvious?_

 

“I--I mean,” she sputtered, “It’s not like that, I don’t want to compete with anyone! If he has someone, that’s fine! I just--”

 

“Oh my god,” Mash muttered in disbelief.

 

“I was just wondering and it’s not like I’m going to try to get between him and--”

 

“Ritsuka,” Mash said seriously, staring at her with wide eyes. “I was joking.”

 

Ritsuka stared back at her friend, silence overtaking her suddenly. It was hopeless--there was simply no recovering. She had never been skilled at concealing her true intentions, but this blunder had to be the worst she had ever committed. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Ritsuka buried her face in her hands and sighed deeply.

 

“Please,” she pleaded, unable to look at Mash as she spoke, “don’t tell him. Promise me you won’t.”

 

“Of course! You have my word!” Mash replied. Ritsuka peeked at her through her fingers long enough to see her friend holding up her hand in what appeared to be some sort of salute. “You can count on me!” Ritsuka sighed, and slumped onto the table in relief.

 

“Thank you, Mash,” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if Mash is the best or worst wingman a girl could ask for, but we're probably about to find out!


	3. Vigilance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonardo DaVinci, unlike some of her beloved coworkers, is very good at reading people.

“You really ought to get some proper sleep, you know,” a woman's voice chided him over his shoulder. Roman glanced back at her and shrugged dismissively. 

 

“I can't. I need to be here in case something goes wrong,” he replied in a tone fitting a response he had given at least half a dozen times that day. Though it was technically the second mission under his command, it felt more like it was his first. Last time, there hadn't been any time to think--it was all he could do to act, compelled forward by sheer urgency, and he had no choice but to simply do whatever needed to be done. This time, however, his nerves had started to get the better of him.

 

DaVinci sighed and leaned herself over the side of his desk, forcing him to turn his full attention to her.

 

“I am more than capable of verification procedures for Ms. Fujimaru--in fact, she is almost assuredly better off in my hands than yours,” she stated forcefully, causing Roman to wince momentarily before regaining his composure. Did she really have to be so blunt about it? 

 

“No, I've already told you: she's my responsibility. It’s too important to hand off to anyone else. If something goes wrong because I had gone off to sleep, I couldn't--”

 

“Romani Archaman, at this rate something will go wrong  _ precisely because  _ you  _ didn't  _ rest when you needed to. If you care about that woman at all,” he winced again at that, “you will go to bed this instant and let me do my job. I understand you're worried but it is beyond me why you're being so damned _stubborn_ about letting anyone else monitor her status!”

 

Roman stared up at her silently. She was right, and he knew she had been right since the first time she pleaded with him that day to get some rest. But he couldn't tear himself away from the command room then--even if he had returned to his chambers, he would have been too much of an anxious mess to manage to get any sleep, thus defeating the entire purpose. Now, however, his body was constantly shuddering in protest to his prolonged wakefulness; it was a small miracle he hadn't yet dozed off right there at his desk. He turned his gaze back to the monitors in front of him. Something inside his chest ached at the thought of letting Ritsuka out of his sight for even an instant--he wanted to be there, to watch over her, to protect her in whatever way he possibly could. However, he was at his limit, and pushing himself further would only lead to unintentional negligence, and that was even more unbearable. 

 

“Ah, is that the way of things. I see,” DaVinci muttered thoughtfully to herself as she studied his face. The sound of her voice pulled Roman back to reality.

 

“Eh?” he asked, blinking up her, confused. She was smiling--no, smirking--at him in a way that made him uncomfortable. It was decided, then--he had no choice but to relinquish command to her for the evening. He stood up suddenly, hoping to make his retreat before having to witness her inevitably basking in his defeat. “Fine then, have fun with the highly technical work! I'm happy to be rid of it!”

 

“Is that right?” she asked in a tone that could only be described as a  _ knowing _ one. “Well, I'm looking forward to it. That dragonslayer is quite pleasing to the eyes, after all--I'd love to talk to him.”

 

“Knock yourself out, then,” he quipped, gathering his coffee cup and the last few scattered candy wrappers off of his desk. 

 

“Although,” DaVinci continued, the smile plastered on her face widening even further as she regarded Roman out of the corner of her eye, “I got the impression Ritsuka had taken a fancy to him. They'd make a cute couple, don't you think?”

 

Roman froze. Although he knew there was no truth to those words, and he knew that DaVinci was simply trying to get a rise out of him, the jab was the most painful one she'd landed during their exchange. He had to choose his response carefully--he would deflect her  _ implication _ as artfully as possible. He refused to give her the confirmation she was seeking--he wouldn't be played that easily! Nor would he give in to the sinking, nauseating feeling welling up inside of him at that thought of Ritsuka together with that man. No, he was above such petty emotions, he'd never--

 

“ _Him?!_ No way, Ritsuka could never go for a guy like that!” he practically shouted at DaVinci, despite her standing mere feet from him. DaVinci laughed--or perhaps, cackled--at his reaction. A wave of doubt washed over him as his colleague’s laughter wore on. “... Hey, she wouldn't, would she? You didn't mean that…?”

 

“Ah, Romani, jealousy isn't a good look for someone in their thirties, but,” she paused to wipe a tear from her eye. “I have to admit I am happily surprised to see it coming from you. Now please, go get some sleep.”

 

Roman frowned. “You're not really helping to put my mind at ease, you know.”

 

“Good night, Roman,” she returned cheerfully, waving him off. 

 

“... You'll wake me up if anything happens, right?”

 

“Between our two young lovers in a blossoming  romance? Don't worry, I'll be sure to give you the play by play when you wake up. Sweet dreams!”

 

And with that, Roman sulked away to his bed. 

  
  
  



End file.
